Jesus Our Refuge Joshua 20:1-9 Centuries Ago in Medieval England, the Law of That Day Provided a Way for Criminals to Find Refuge

Jesus Our Refuge Joshua 20:1-9 Centuries ago in Medieval England, the law of that day provided a way for criminals to find refuge. Anyone who broke the law could travel to the Durham Cathedral in the north of England and plead for asylum. When the offender arrived, they would bang on the door of the cathedral and wait for a priest to answer. Upon entering the church, they were required to confess their crime to the priest and surrender any weapon they had. The priest, in turn, would toll the church bell to alert the citizens of Durham that someone was seeking asylum. Once inside the cathedral, the offender was protected from anyone wanting revenge. They had 37 days to decide whether to stand trial or to leave the country. If an offender chose to leave - the law afforded them nine days to exit the borders of England. Those who decided to leave the realm were required to wear a white robe and carry a wooden cross for the duration of their journey. Amazingly, this law of asylum remained in place for several centuries. Throughout the years, the principle remained the same: If you committed a crime, you could run to the church for protection.

It’s hard for us to imagine having such a law here in America today. We’re guided by the belief that if lawbreakers are set free with impunity, respect for the law disappears.

For very different reasons, do you have a safe place where you like to go when life becomes overwhelming? Do you like to go to the beach or to the mountains – somewhere to get away from the difficulties of life? Some people don’t have the luxury of doing that. Instead, they listen to music or watch a movie on television or they call a friend. Others engage in some form of physical activity like running, walking or cycling to offload stress. I’d like to talk with you today about finding refuge in God. Psalm 46:1 says that: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Our study in the book of Joshua brings us to chapter 20. After the tribes of Israel were established in the land of promise, God instructed Joshua to designate six cities of refuge where people could run to in a time of crisis. These cities belonged to the Levites. The Levites were the priests of Israel. Three of these cities were located on the west side of the Jordan River and three on the east side of the Jordan. Wherever someone might be in the land of promise, they were never more than 30 miles away from a city of refuge. 2

Why did God command Joshua to establish these cities? Let’s put this into context.

When God gave His law to Moses, it was stipulated that if someone murdered a person - the closest relative of the victim was to exact punishment on the killer. This is commonly referred to as the law of retribution - or the lex talionis. Retribution was one of the cornerstones of Israel’s penal code. This is clearly spelled out in the 24th chapter of Leviticus. Retribution was not only lawful – it was considered to be a religious duty.

The cities of refuge were established for a person who accidentally took the life of someone. The person who did that could flee to one of those cities and find protection from those who sought revenge. God established the cities of refuge as a safeguard against blood feuds and the miscarriage of justice. A person fleeing to one of the cities was afforded the opportunity to have their case heard by the elders of the city. Upon hearing the evidence - the elders would then determine that person’s guilt or innocence. If a person was found innocent, they could live in that city and be safe from their avenger. If they were found guilty, they would be expelled from the city. Effectively, they became fair game to those who wanted to settle the score. There was a very interesting provision to living in a city of refuge. To remain safe, the person who fled there had to remain in the city until the Chief Priest died. When the Chief Priest died, that person could no longer be pursued and killed. In a strange way, the death of the Chief Priest served as a payment for the life you took. Reflect on that for a moment. Let’s consider some foundational lessons found in this 20th chapter of Joshua. Early on in Scripture, God established a very important principle: 1. Human life is sacred and valuable. Murder was not only an offence against society - it was an offence against the God who created that person in His image. When God made a covenant with Noah in chapter 9 of Genesis, He said: Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man. All of us know that capital punishment is the focus of a furious debate in our culture today. Many of us wonder: Does the Bible sanction capital punishment? It’s undeniably clear that God established capital punishment 3 in the Mosaic law. But did God set aside capital punishment after the time of Jesus? In other words, does the teaching of Jesus and others who wrote the New Testament supersede what’s taught in the Old Testament? It comes as no surprise that believers are on both side of this debate. Christians who are against capital punishment hold the position that Christ's death on the cross ended the requirement for blood recompense. They hold the position that because Jesus died for the sins of humanity, justice should be tempered with mercy. Christians who are for capital punishment say that the New Testament acknowledges the existence of the death penalty. Paul, in Romans chapter 13, acknowledges the fact that the state (not a private citizen) has the authority to exact capital punishment. Paul said that God has established government to restrain evil and to preserve society. His main point in Romans 13 is that Christians should abide by the laws of the land. Let’s consider another dimension of this. The sanctity of life is the reason hot button issues like abortion on demand, doctor assisted suicide and medical cloning are opposed by many believers. Those who hold a high view of the sanctity of life contend that any time any life is treated with callous disregard - all of life is devalued. The question of when does life begin isn’t the only hot button issue in our culture today – people are debating a question at the other end of spectrum: When does life end? Does life end when a person stops breathing naturally and they have no brain waves? Is it right to keep a person alive artificially when there’s no hope of resuscitation? Clearly, the Bible has a high view of the sanctity of life. There’s a second reason why God established cities of refuge: 2. Cities of refuge established a system of justice. Those who fled to a city of refuge were given shelter until the all the evidence of a case was weighed by the elders – who served as judges. In the end, a person would either be acquitted if they were found to be innocent – or they were expelled from the city if they were found to be guilty. If they were innocent, they would be granted protection and allowed to live in that city of refuge. If they were guilty, this effectively meant turning them over to their avenger. Now, there’s another application of this passage that I’d like us to consider today. As we look in the New Testament, the writer of the book of Hebrews 4 touches on this concept of refuge. We read these words in chapter 6 of Hebrews: Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. The imagery of this passage reflects a story found in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings chapters 1-2. I’ll briefly summarize. David’s son Adonijah wanted to be king instead of his brother Solomon. Adonijah had a plan to take the throne, but David made Solomon King before Adonijah’s plan could be carried out. Adonijah was afraid that his brother Solomon would have him killed for treason - so he fled to the tabernacle and hid out. Adonijah believed the tabernacle was a place where he would be safe from harm. It’s not terribly uncommon these days to hear of someone seeking refuge or sanctuary inside a church. Usually, that person wants the church to protect them from deportation. The author of Hebrews tells believers that Jesus is our refuge. Jesus is our protector. In Jesus, we find refuge from the curse of sin and the punishment of eternal condemnation. There are some ways that the cities of refuge typify our relationship with Jesus. Let me touch on three of these: a. The cities of refuge were appointed by God. In the same way, God is the One who has provided the way of salvation through His Son. The book of Hebrews tells us that God is the author and finisher of our faith. b. The cities of refuge were accessible to everyone – including Gentiles. As I said a few moments ago, wherever a person was in Israel, they were never more than 30 miles away from a city of refuge. In a similar way, God offers salvation to everyone who believes and trusts in His Son. Regardless of what you’ve done, Jesus isn’t far from you - even if you feel far from Him. He’s as close as our mouth. Paul said in Romans chapter 10: If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. In the time of Joshua, it was a crisis that drove people to one of these cities of refuge to find protection. Likewise, it often takes a crisis of some kind to get a person to look beyond themselves and put their hope and faith in Christ. Biblical tradition says that the roads leading to these cities of refuge were always well-marked and were kept free of obstructions. In other words, every 5 hindrance to a city of refuge city was removed. Moreover, the gates of the city were never locked. People always had access. c. There was no protection for those who didn’t flee to a city of refuge. And so it is with Jesus. The person who refuses to put their trust and confidence in the death and resurrection of Christ for their salvation - the one who refuses the forgiveness of sin that God offers us in Christ – the one who rejects the new life offered by the Spirit of God - that person has turned away from their only hope. Jesus said in John chapter 14: No one comes to the Father except through me. There are even further implications of this teaching. Since Jesus is our refuge - and since we as the church are the body of Christ - it only follows that the church should be a place of refuge for those who need the Lord. Think for a moment of the ministry of Jesus. Our Lord welcomed all kinds of people to be His followers – even those who were considered to be outcasts. Tax- collectors - the infirmed – those who were delivered from evil spirits – prostitutes – Jesus welcomed anyone who would turn to Him in faith. Make no mistake, Jesus never condoned the sinful behavior of people, but He reached out to them in love. This is what Jesus wants His church to do as well. He told us to love one another as He has loved us. The church should be a place of love, hope, forgiveness and new beginnings. Years ago in another church I served, the son of one of our deacons got his girlfriend pregnant. I remember sitting in a deacon meeting one Sunday evening and the subject on the table was how would the church respond to this. Every one of the deacons (even this young man’s father) said this young man should stand before the church to publicly confess what he did and ask for forgiveness. Basically, the deacons wanted to publicly humiliate him. Finally, one of the deacons asked me what I thought the church should do. By then I was furious. I said, “All we’ve talked about for the last hour is how we should punish this young man. What I want to know is: What are we going to do to help this young man and his girlfriend?” I didn’t make many friends that evening – and I was okay with that. Is the church a place for sinners to come in order to be shamed – or should it be a place of refuge for people who are trying to find healing, hope and a better way to live? 6

This leads me to ask a few questions: How do you view people who are different from you – people who look different – people who may have an unsavory past – people who have different political and theological views? Are you able to love people who are different than you or are you quick to write them off? We live today in what many are now referring to as a cancel culture. In brief, that means withdrawing love, friendship and support for people who’ve said or done something considered to be objectionable or offensive. Often, these people end up getting shamed and humiliated on social media. Do we cancel people in the church? Why do we sometimes give people the cold shoulder rather than the warmth of God’s love? Is it because Jesus doesn’t love them? (He does) Is it because we’re morally superior to others? (Here’s a news flash: We’re not!) Is it because a person’s struggles disqualifies them from receiving God’s grace and mercy? (It doesn’t. We’ve all been saved by God’s grace and mercy). Are we afraid of being compromised? The challenge for the church is to stand for the truth while also being a community where broken people can find refuge. I believe God wants the church to be a place where people can find mercy instead of judgment. Where people will look past the surface and see a person the way Jesus sees them. The church should be a place where the truth is proclaimed in love rather than with scorn. Here’s what I’m getting at: When God established the cities of refuge, He had more in mind than just providing a place for people to go for protection after they made a terrible mistake. God’s intent was to affirm life, establish justice, to point forward to the true place of refuge at the foot of the cross of Jesus - and to give the church a vivid picture of what He wanted us to be. So, what are the takeaways? The place to begin is to: 1. Confront the prejudices we have. Do you dismiss or shy away from certain people? Are you glad to see some people in worship - but are troubled when others show up? Confront those feelings by asking, “How would Jesus treat these people?” Second, we need to: 7

2. Take an objective look at our church. If you see areas in our church where we’re building walls instead of bridges, please point these things out to me or to others on our church staff. We want to be a place of refuge rather than a place of judgment and condemnation. 3. I want to challenge all of us to have a high view of the sanctity of life. Life is precious, sacred and valuable to God. 4. Let’s be intentional about looking for ways to point people to Jesus – the One who is our refuge. Look for opportunities to tell people that Jesus loves them and can forgive them. Be a loving and caring friend to those who are broken and hurting. So, there are many ways that the cities of refuge typify our refuge in Christ. There’s only one way this analogy doesn't work. Do you know what it is? Cities of refuge ultimately benefitted people who were not guilty. This is where the analogy breaks down. The Bible says that all of us are guilty of sinning against God. Paul said in Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If you feel ashamed about the things you’ve done in the past – if you feel hopeless about the future – reach out to Jesus. He’s reaching out to you. Some of you listening to me may not be aware that He did something completely mind-blowing. He gave His life as a payment for our sin. Because of His death on the cross, we can be forgiven of all our sins – past, present and future. He did something else. He rose from the grave to prove that God’s promise of forgiveness and eternal life is true. You can begin a relationship with God right now if you’ve never reached out to Him. If you’ve done that in the past but have lost your way for whatever reason – you can reboot your relationship with Him. The Bible says we can approach God with confidence. Let’s pray together now.